The family of an Assamese man, who was declared a foreigner in 2017, and died in a detention centre earlier this month, performed his last rites on Tuesday evening, ending a nine-day impasse over his body.
The mentally-challenged Dulal Paul, 65, died in detention as a ‘declared foreigner’ on October 13. However, his family, which is based in Sonitpur district’s Alisinga village, refused to accept his body unless the BJP-led State government certified him as an Indian.
His wife and three sons were adamant about not receiving the body till the State reversed the tribunal’s decision. But a faction of the All- Assam Bengali Youth Students’ Federation allegedly exerted pressure on them and brokered a deal with the government.
“Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal has assured us that he will help fight my father’s case in the Supreme Court to remove the foreigner tag from him and our family and form a committee to review the cases of all people declared Bangladeshis,” his son Ashish Paul said after the cremation.
“We hope the Chief Minister and the BJP government will keep their word,” he added.
